An Indianapolis man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for his role in a wire fraud conspiracy that targeted elderly victims across the United States. U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler handed down the sentence to Abdul Waheed Mohammed, 33, on January 26, 2026.
Mohammed was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after his prison term and pay $163,000 in restitution as well as a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud following a three-day jury trial in October 2025, after being indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2024.
According to court documents, Mohammed and several co-conspirators—including Shalinee Vyas—carried out a scheme beginning in September 2023 that involved contacting elderly individuals and convincing them they had either committed crimes or had their bank accounts compromised. In one instance involving an elderly victim from Rapid City, South Dakota, scammers posed as law enforcement officers and threatened arrest unless the victim complied with their demands for cash and gold. Over one week, the victim lost more than $100,000 when members of the group came directly to her home to collect valuables.
The scam was uncovered after friends noticed changes in the victim’s behavior and encouraged her to contact authorities. Law enforcement learned that another attempt was planned for an additional $95,000 worth of gold. Officers conducted an operation at the victim’s residence where Mohammed was arrested while attempting to pick up the gold.
Investigators later found messages on Mohammed’s phone from Vyas directing him and others to various locations nationwide to collect money from other elderly victims under similar pretenses.
“This defendant and his ring of thieves systematically preyed upon the elderly and vulnerable to rob them of their life savings and hard-earned retirement funds,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “It really takes a special kind of rotten to make a living scaring, threatening, stealing from, and impoverishing our senior citizens in what are supposed to be their golden years. I’m so proud of these law enforcement officers for catching these criminals and holding them accountable.”
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Department of Homeland Security, and Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Following sentencing, Mohammed was remanded into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
Authorities advise anyone who receives similar requests—such as demands for money or threats regarding legal action—to avoid sending any funds or sharing sensitive information with callers claiming government affiliation. They recommend saving all communications related to such incidents and reporting them immediately to local law enforcement or through online complaint platforms like IC3.gov.
